People always change with time, and the same is true for Xu Shuzheng. Once upon a time, the reason why he took the initiative to apply to join the Expeditionary Force was to make the Expeditionary Force his own. However, after coming to France, he also realized that in France

It can be said that he was both happy and worried about the changes that had taken place in the army during this war.

Over the years, although I can be said to be grateful and loyal to Duan Qirui for his kindness, he is also a man who cares about the country, otherwise he would not have joined the army. Before joining the army, he had traveled in Jinan.

He has a special fondness for Yuan Shikai and feels that he is a great man with a big heart and will be able to achieve great things in the future. Although they later broke up due to Yuan's prejudice, his original intention has not changed. Until now, he still believes in his views many years ago -

- Only capable people must come forward to turn the tide, establish a new order, turn the country from weak to strong, and rebuild the country's prestige.

For Xu Shuzheng, in the early years he thought the capable person was Yuan Shikai, but later he thought it would be the boss. But now, he is also a little confused. The capable person did come out, and he did turn the tide and establish a new order.

It transformed the country from weak to strong and restored its prestige.

But that person was not Yuan Shikai, whom he had a crush on, nor was he the boss who was kind to him, but Li Zhiyuan, who was more than ten years younger than him. The two of them first came into contact during the "Jiao'ao Incident"

, Xu Shuzheng has a kind of doubt in his heart. He has never been able to understand Li Zhiyuan.

Be public and selfless! Serve the country wholeheartedly!

Xu Shuzheng can always feel these eight words in everything Li Zhiyuan does. But just like this, it makes him feel ashamed. If he were in Li Zhiyuan's position, what choice would he make?

?

Xu Shuzheng asked himself that he could not serve his country wholeheartedly like he did. Although he could not completely achieve it,...he was in France, so he did not care about anything else for the time being, and he could only serve his country wholeheartedly abroad.

"Tian Ren, although you and I may have to do our own thing in the future, today, you and I have made an agreement with Songpa. During our stay in France, we will all put national affairs first and serve the country as our duty! I don't know Songpa.

Brother, what do Tian Ren think..."

After an agreement came out of Xu Shuzheng's mouth, the other two people in the room were slightly surprised. They might have heard some rumors about this military advisor Xiaoshan.

Ever since his young boy Jiang Ning failed the scientific examination, he did not want to make a career for the imperial court. He began to walk the path he wanted to take and do the career he wanted to do. It was at that time that he felt that there were too many people.

The Western powers bullied China because the Chinese boxers were too small and physically weak. They did not have enough armed forces to protect the country, and the root cause of not having enough armed forces to protect the country lay in political backwardness and the incompetence of those in power.

All of this can be seen from the "National Affairs Formation" he wrote to Yuan Shikai. Perhaps it was his experience of being defeated that year that made him not the kind of person who is "foolishly loyal to the country", or in other words, he is simply a

The guest of "repaying a confidant" is the country. He may have the country in his heart, but what he values ​​more is probably the confidant who has shown him the kindness of knowing him. As for the country, I'm afraid it takes a back seat.

But now he has made such an agreement. Is this agreement his true intention, or...

"While we were in France, we all put national affairs first and took loyalty to the country as our duty..."

Thinking about his words with an eyebrow, Han Wu understood the meaning of his words, which was that the three of them worked together while in France, and other issues would be decided after returning to China. To be precise, it was decided by his mastermind.

Among the three of them, who has a leader? It’s just Xu and Han. As for Cai E, he has never had a leader. But after the Chongjiu Uprising in Yunnan five years ago, the country, the nation, and the kindness of knowing him.

Didn’t he also struggle a lot between Li Jingxi and the “proprietor” Li Jingxi?…

Looking at these two people and listening to their choices, Cai E felt relieved and understood. For them, it is difficult to repay the kindness of the boss and difficult to violate the loyalty of the country. This is a dilemma, but in the end

, they will still make a choice in the end. Cai E no longer seems to care about what choice they will make in the future, because he knows that these two people are by no means the kind of people who "only know the boss but not the country"

People, maybe, they will also be changed by this war!

A war can change many people and things!

Cai E would never doubt this. Looking at the two people in front of him, he stretched out his hand and said steadily.

"Okay, let us make this agreement. During our stay in France, we will not hold on to the conflict between ourselves, and we will not divide based on the east. We will only put national affairs first, and the national affairs will be our top priority!"

Xu Shuzheng and Han Wu looked at each other, then smiled, and the three of them struck each other with their hands and swore. This was the first time that the "three-person regiment" of the expeditionary force revealed their true feelings to each other, and it was also the first time.

For the first time, we truly believe in each other and form a whole. For the expeditionary force, this is a good thing. For the country, is this not a lucky thing?

The Mation Building, located on the left bank of the Seine River in Paris, is a two-story quaint building. It is the seat of the French Prime Minister's Office. Negotiations between China and France on revising the "Sino-French New Treaty" have just concluded a day of negotiations here.

As the President's Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Representatives to France, Hu Weide and Wu Jiepu walked calmly out of the stone arch gate decorated with reliefs, passed by the gatekeepers wearing red tassel helmets and blue uniforms, and arrived at Wallen.

On Na Street.

Even though he left the luxurious diplomatic venue and breathed the relatively free air of the streets of Paris, Hu Weide still looked very unhappy. At this time, he not only looked gloomy, but also felt depressed in his heart.

As for when speaking, his tone is also slightly impulsive.

"Ruoqin, can you take a rest by the river and get some fresh air before we go?"

Hu Weide turned around and nodded:

"Okay, let's go to the river and talk before we leave."

Wu Jiepu, who was calm and composed, followed him westward along the street, passed through a small alley to the north, and came to the boulevard beside the Seine River. The two stopped and rested on the stone railing.

In front of him was the beautiful Seine River, the clear water, the sparkling blue waves, the rippling yachts, and the intoxicating breeze. All of this did not dissolve Hu Weide's resentment. Thinking of the dispute during the meeting, he burst out full of complaints:

"The performance of the French today is really bad! I really don't understand that amending the old treaty will not harm France, or even help France a lot, but they insist on opposing it. If they agree, not only can we send more

We have an army, and China can even cover part of the military expenses. These French guys who don’t know good from bad are so damn irritating!”

Hu Weide's face flushed with excitement. This professional diplomat who had studied at the Shanghai Dialect Institute and took up the post of the Embassy in the United Kingdom twenty-six years ago. He began his twenty-six-year diplomatic career. When he mentioned treaty negotiations,

However, he completely ignored the etiquette of a diplomat and showed his anger. Although he appeared to be extremely peaceful on the surface, he was actually a stubborn person. At this time, in order to relieve the resentment in his chest, he used his hands to relax.

The tie that was too loose and the long hair that was pulled back returned to normal after a while, showing the demeanor of a scholar and diplomat.

The slender and handsome Wu Jiepu took over the topic. This official sent by the State Council spoke in Sichuan dialect:

"Opposition to amend the old treaty. It's just that they still want to maintain their privileges in China, and they also want to maintain their interests in China. For these Westerners, interests are the most important."

Wu Jiepu speaks quickly and speaks to the point. He is twenty-eight years old this year. He is from Chengdu, Sichuan. He once studied political economics at the Paris Law School. It is precisely because of this that he was admitted to the State Council and became an official of the State Council. The reason why he came here this time

France, on the other hand, cooperated with the minister stationed in Han to negotiate with the French to amend the treaty. Perhaps because he had stayed in the State Council for a long time, his words were always somewhat hostile to foreign countries...

"Now, at what point do they think they can still keep their privileges in China? Now, our China is not the Qing Dynasty that was bullied by others! We can't talk to them now. When we have free hands in the future, we will

Have a good fight!"

Although he was a little annoyed, when he heard what Wu Jiepu said, Hu Weide quickly persuaded him.

"This war is not to be taken lightly! Moreover, didn't we make some progress today?"

Hu Weide was no longer angry at this time. He was quite satisfied with the results of today's talks. Although the two sides sometimes spoke fiercely and even became red-faced, it was this contest of wills and sharing of interests that could always make the two sides shake hands and make peace.

, the treaty was successfully revised. He adjusted his tortoiseshell glasses and said softly:

"It was Prime Minister Briand who took the overall situation into consideration and finally agreed to amend the old treaty, agreed in principle to our request, gave up our privileges in China, and gradually returned the concession and the Guangzhou Bay lease. This was used by more than 100,000 expeditionary officers and soldiers since the outbreak of the European War.

The national status that we have gained with our lives and blood and sweat is really hard-won!"

Hu Weide's words made Wu Jiepu feel uneasy:

"What Mr. Sir said is absolutely true. In order to make up for the lack of troops of the Allied Powers in the 'European War', more than 100,000 expeditionary troops came to France. If they had not shed blood and sacrificed on the front line, if not for their great victory on the battlefield, I am afraid that Prime Minister Briand would not have

We will not make verbal concessions. On the Somme, nearly 80,000 of our soldiers died in battle. The outstanding contribution of the Chinese Expeditionary Force is obvious to all. The French government should be grateful for the sacrifice of the expeditionary force!"

When he came to France, he went to the front line as a representative of the State Council to express condolences. It was the end of the Somme War, and the tragic scene of coffins is still in his mind.

It emerged from the story that the soldiers sacrificed and shed their blood for the country. For what reason? Isn’t it just to restore the dignity of the country? Now, the soldiers have worked hard and shed their blood. As diplomats, they naturally need to work harder.

, Only in this way can we live up to the blood of soldiers.

"Of course it should! Otherwise, the French government is too heartless!"

Mentioning the fact that most people in France are unwilling to give up their privileges in China only makes Hu Weide feel angry.

At this moment, Hu Weide was also thinking about another issue. This new treaty is actually the second Sino-French New Treaty. The first Sino-French New Treaty was France's recognition of China's tariff autonomy, but this new treaty is the most

Importantly, if the re-signing goes smoothly, it means that France will completely give up all its privileges in China. Only by opening such a hole can China negotiate these issues with other countries. After solving these privilege issues, it will wait to recover.

the dignity of the country.

Thinking of this, Hu Weide confessed his worries:

"Ruoqin, why do you think those French officials want to drag us down?"

"I guess they are waiting for something to happen in our country!"

Wu Jiepu, who has always been extremely alert, took the initiative to speak after hearing Hu Weide's question.

Domestic changes, for these Westerners who only have interests in their eyes, they value interests, so they always hope to preserve their privileges in China to the greatest extent. Now, although they realize that they can no longer look at China with the old eyes, let alone

Treat China in the old way, but they are still waiting to see if other changes will occur in China. Because of this, even Prime Minister Briand, who agreed in principle, hopes to leave these issues to be resolved after the war, rather than

Make a treaty with China now.

Hu Weide frowned at the domestic issues mentioned by Wu Jiepu. As a diplomat, he knew very well that Wu Jiepu came to France to sign this treaty, so as to gain visibility for the State Council and thus establish prestige for the State Council to compete in the government.

To win the hearts and minds of the people, this is actually a reflection of the domestic political undercurrent. Don’t those French people know that behind the seemingly calm situation in China’s domestic political arena, there is actually an undercurrent surging. What changes will happen in the next few years?

No one knows, and it is precisely because of this that they hope to delay for a few years...

"What changes will happen in the country? What changes will happen in the country?"

Hu Weide asked a rhetorical question first, and then said.

"Nowadays, the government and the Yuan are in harmony. The cooperation between the President and the Prime Minister can be said to be very close. China has benefited from the cooperation between the government and the Yuan to be what it is today. Those foreigners are overthinking it!"

A sentence of self-deception came out of Hu Weide's mouth.

Disagreements are always inevitable, not to mention... looking at the young man next to him, he, like many young officials in the State Council, is also tired of long negotiations. For these young people, they always want to do it immediately, preferably now.

It was about solving the problem of privileges of European and American countries in China, and after seeing the performance of the expeditionary force in France, they vaguely placed their hope on military power, like Japan, to solve the problem through military means.

While they are bored with the outside world, how can they be satisfied with the domestic political situation? In their opinion, it is the existence of the president and the government that prevents the prime minister from letting go of his fists and fully promoting national construction. I really don’t know...
To be continued...